ter + Participle

Ter + Participle for Repeated Actions

Level 4

Teño ido a Lugo does not mean "I have gone to Lugo" once: it means many times. For a single action, Galician uses the preterite: Hoxe fun a Lugo.

How It Works

Not the English present perfect

Galician has no compound tenses like Spanish he comido or English I have eaten. It uses the simple preterite for finished actions, even recent ones:

  • Xa comín (I have already eaten).
  • Esta mañá falei co médico (I have spoken to the doctor this morning).
  • Nunca estiven en Roma (I have never been to Rome).

What ter + participle adds

It stresses repetition or build-up over time: Teño ido moitas veces a Lugo (I have been to Lugo many times), Xa cho teño dito (I have told you before, more than once), Temos falado disto (we have talked about this, on several occasions).

Agreement with the object

The participle usually stays in -o (teño ido, temos falado). When there is a direct object, it can agree with it, which highlights the result or the number of things done: Teño lidas moitas novelas, Xa teño feitos os deberes (I already have my homework done). The pattern levar + participle counts things done in the same way.

In the past

Tiña + participle works the same way for repeated actions up to a past moment: Tiña visto aquel home varias veces. For a simple past before another past, use the antepretérito: Cando cheguei, xa marchara.

Examples (6)

  1. Teño ido moitas veces a Lugo.

    I have been to Lugo many times.

    Moitas veces makes the repeated meaning clear.

  2. Xa cho teño dito mil veces.

    I have told you a thousand times.

    Cho combines che and o. Dito is the irregular participle of dicir.

  3. Temos falado disto moitas veces.

    We have talked about this many times.

  4. Tiña lidas varias novelas súas.

    I had read several of his novels.

    Lidas agrees with varias novelas, stressing the number already read.

  5. Teño visto cousas moi raras nesta rúa.

    I have seen some very strange things on this street.

    The sightings happened on several occasions.

  6. Xa teño feitos os deberes.

    I have my homework done already.

    Feitos agrees with os deberes and highlights the result.

Common Mistakes

  • Using ter + participle for a single recent action.

    Esta mañá teño falado co médico.
    Esta mañá falei co médico.

    A single finished action takes the preterite, even when English uses "have done".

  • Translating "I have already arrived" word for word.

    Xa teño chegado á casa.
    Xa cheguei á casa.

    Xa + preterite is how Galician says "have already done" for one event.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

ter + ParticipleLevel 4Ter + Participle for Repeated Actions

Learn This First

Ter with a participle can express repeated or accumulated action.

Words in This Pattern